Skilling naturally vs Skill implants

[Jerry Revan]

I'm getting depressed about my level of skills, havent payed enough attention to them and it's got to the point where the boys in my soc have all surpassed me in skill.

Just wondering about the best way to go out and skill. Or any tips on which weapons skill well.

I have recently thought of buying up alot of skill implants in combat. But i'm still unsure, is it worth buying up skills? Is it better instead to skill naturally and gain loot and possible attributes and health points? Or do I get attributes with skills?

So many questions, so noob

 

[Ghandi]

You gain health with skills (wether gained naturally or chipped). Attributes you can only get by skilling.

If you want to skill as fast as you can, get a big weapon and hunt with it, but it will cost you lots of ped. Personally I use a valor and only have 1900 LB... I can't use it well yet, but I get an assload of skills from it.

If you have time, then skill for efficiency... theres plenty of threads around with how to do this methinks.

 

[Jerry Revan]

Thanks for the info

 

[Rain Man]

Skilling is a hard thing to get into. It seems that once I have found a nice hunting spot and am happy with the gear I have I can skill all day and not get bored. But first you must find a place and setup that you like. When that happens, I tend to get a lot of ammo ('a lot' being ~200 PED worth for me) and hunt until it's gone. Doing that will increase my skills a marginal amount, so I repeat and repeat and repeat. The trick is to be persistent and consistent. Over time you'll see good increases. In the past week or two I have gained almost 500 Rifle skill levels (was at 2500, nearing 3000 now).

I have in the past and always will skill naturally. I don't believe that chipping is an honest way of increasing your skill. If you want to progress naturally and steadily, with a balance of skills in your professions, do it the old fashioned way. You'll also gain attributes and valuable field experience.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I believe that skill should be earned and not bought. Only then can you truly call yourself 'skilled'.

 

[Kay-T]

In my opinion it is better and more fun to skill naturally.
I dont usually concernt myself with actively tryigng to find the perfect weapon and mob combo that gets the best skills. i hunt what i think is gonna loot good or what might loot somethign i can use or hunt a mob i can afford to hunt at the time. Even then the main reason i hunt is to get skill, but also to have fun and get ped. Even if im gettin tons of skills off of a mob im not gonna hunt it too long if it isnt looting much (but i might come back later).
Though there are some skills i will definitely chip. Some of my skills are going up so horibly slow that it would cost me many thousands of ped just to to traverse 1 rank for those skills i do intend to chip.
In my case even after a year my aim skill is only 1100, and my alertness is less than 500 and athletics just over 600. while all my other skills that i use most are well over 1000, some even in to the 3k range. my marksmanship is already nearly double my aim and i only unlocked that 2-3 months ago.

So one way might be to skill naturally most of the skills especially when your still new and they go up fast and chip later on the skills that barely move.
Im gonna be chipping aim, athletics and alertness pretty soon myself.
simply cuz at the rate im going athletics and alertess wont be much over 1k for another year, and it would take me another year to get another 1k in aim.

One of the best reasons to do naturally as much as you can is becuase that is the only way to raise the main attributes like agility, intelligence, strength and so on. you can chip hit points but it would cost you many many thousands of ped just to buy the range of skills needed to give you only a few hit points. better to skill that naturally.

 

[Fenigan Brack]

What is involved in implimenting a skill chip? what equipment is involved and what's the process AND is there any catches or losses i should know about?

 

[rotten ice]

For me I skill naturally and I think I may look into chipping later as Kay-t said

On the other side of the coin

My Dad plays but being full time work and father with 3 (6 in total )young children still to look after he doesnt get as much time to play as me. Of course being a student hepls me out loads there he has used chips to improve his skill so that he can hunt with bigger weapons and shoot bigger mobs, its not really his style to play many hours hunting mobs that go down in a couple of swings (snable youns, cornus) just to gain higher levels of skill, it also helps that he afford the skill chips.

And allthough I have clocked up more hours then him alot of his stats are higher then mine (apart from his sweat gathering skill (level 4 ))

We played for couple of weeks first hunting small things but he got bored and wanted bigger mobs not for bigger loots as we both play to enjoy, but because hunting snable is not as much fun as tea-bagging a dead argonaut Hunter

I dont have the money to put in upfront to buy skill chips, and would have to save for a few months to buy some(for a worth while amount of chips), however I can spend aford to spend a few $$ a month so I skill au-naturel. Sometimes I wish I could buy a couple of lb skils as it taking ages for me to reach 1500, as I use too many weapons when playing to skill noticably in any area.

 

[valiant]

I'm probably the last person you should listen to because I consider myself to be one of the most cynical people on here..........but............

If you're really dedicated to the game and you actually don't mind depositing then my impression, overall, is that you get far better 'value for money' if you skill naturally. If you buy skills then you're buying a commodity that sells at a premium. Someone else has had to get those skills that you've bought en-mass and they're not going to sell them at less than a premium price.

Add to that the fact that when you focus on getting a particular skill naturally, you also get a whole lot of 'secondary skills' that you won't get if you buy a skill implant. So why not enjoy the stuff you like doing in the game and stop worrying about the fact you're not as highly skilled as the guy who's thrown money at the problem.

Having said that, the nature of this game is that it favours those who deposit huge amounts of money (or who spend huge amounts of time trading so they can accumulate huge amounts of money). If you're interested in that kind of macho rat-race then go ahead and buy yourself skills.

The other ironic aspect of the game is that MA have, to some extent, shot themselves in the foot. They've been forced into a corner where we have a situation where there are lots of people in this game who joined at the start and whose skills are so far advanced that even if you spent $50,000 you wouldn't catch up with them (and they spent nothing, or close to nothing, to get there). Just recognise that it's a lost cause and stop 'aspiring'.

And on the theme of 'foot shooting' be aware that MA have also reduced the worth of skills. There really isn't a whole lot of difference between what you can achieve with noob skills and 'uber' skills. And, to the extent that there is a difference, the difference is certainly not worth paying for. Go out and hunt and mine and craft and enjoy yourself............but for Gawd's sake don't spend your money on the rat-race that gets you nowhere!



Valiant

 

[Ghandi]

What is involved in implimenting a skill chip? what equipment is involved and what's the process AND is there any catches or losses i should know about?

To use a chip you use the Payne Inc inserter from the tt. Equip the item, use it, and then drag the skill chip from your inventory to the device. Once you insert the chip it is lost and whatever skill it held is added to yours.

The disadvantage of chipping is if you only chip 1 thing... rifle for example, you are missing out on all the other skills that using a rifle and hunting gives you. If you wanted to chip as if you hunted, you'd need to use several chips (ie rifle, combat reflexes, evade, laser or blp weapon technology, aim, anatomy, inflict ranged damage, dexterity, courage, weapons handling, perception, etc etc etc)

 

[Swim]

...
Just wondering about the best way to go out and skill. Or any tips on which weapons skill well.

I have recently thought of buying up alot of skill implants in combat. But i'm still unsure, is it worth buying up skills? Is it better instead to skill naturally and gain loot and possible attributes and health points? Or do I get attributes with skills?

So many questions, so noob

I like to skill naturally because I would get the attributes increased as well. I like skilling Long Blades because I noticed a lot of attributes get increased with my progress.
I have been following Sendaran's guide which seems to work fine for me:
https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6072

Chipping maybe faster but you will miss all the fun and details along the way that will make you a good PE Player.

Be patient, my son.
Swim.

 

[Kay-T]

What is involved in implimenting a skill chip? what equipment is involved and what's the process AND is there any catches or losses i should know about?

To fill a skill chip you need either a mindforce implant already installed (or to sintall one if your gonna do MF anyways)
If not you just need the implanting too and an empty chip (GSI)
You install the GSI by using the implaing tool or activating it like a MF chip if you have a MF implant installed.
A menu should come up then asking you to select a skill and a slider to say how much to fill it. once you have done so you commit to the to the porcess and you now have a full chip.

To install some skills you once again need a chip witht he skills you want on it and either a MF implant already in your head or the implanter tool
(either way you will at one point or another need to have or use and implanter too wich you can get from the TT)
If you have a MF implant installed you just put the skill chip in like you would a MF chip and (presumably) commit to adding the skills.
If you dont you use the implanter too to add the chip and then you select it in the menu.

Once you have added the chip the chip will be gone and you will have an increase in that skill (some of that skill will be lost in the process but you will get most of it)

In addition to this especially if you use the implanter too your avitar will undergo a painful looking, but entertaining animation.
Thats it i belive..

Oh! there is one thing. you can not currently be someone's desciple to use a skill chip either to get skills or to fill one.
So if you have a mentor and you want to use skill chips you need to either graduate or get your mentor to kick you.

 

[KapokWu]

I'm probably the last person you should listen to because I consider myself to be one of the most cynical people on here..........but............

Welcome to the ranks!

If you're really dedicated to the game and you actually don't mind depositing then my impression, overall, is that you get far better 'value for money' if you skill naturally. If you buy skills then you're buying a commodity that sells at a premium. Someone else has had to get those skills that you've bought en-mass and they're not going to sell them at less than a premium price.

Here I prefer to be little more cynical than you. The skills are sold by little
lower price than acquiring them, since the price is decided by those, who
anyways want to sell. It is same with the most tailoring and manufacturing
business, people just reduce their expenses a little by selling stuff. Only
few actually profit.

But I recommend too one setting a 1-3 years schedule and really skilling
over that time. Occasional mad dashes for fun are OK.

They've been forced into a corner where we have a situation where there are lots of people in this game who joined at the start and whose skills are so far advanced that even if you spent $50,000 you wouldn't catch up with them (and they spent nothing, or close to nothing, to get there). Just recognise that it's a lost cause and stop 'aspiring'.

Well, those old fellas have often thin presence here, they play the game
since they have the char. They also often congregate to uber-grinding
spots, like at crystal Palace. Mostly you can forget they exist...
Only if chars are sold over or handed to a different familymember, they
get active again. Or if life situation changes. (E.g. divorce or
unemployment because of too much PE playing ).

So, there is hope, and there is room for new folks.
Set meaningful goals, like getting three main hunting skills above 1k.
Then, to please your mentor, get one skill to the graduation limit.
Then, get another skill to the graduation limit. Then, decide what you
are going to be, and raise the corresponding skill to 4k, and go on.

And on the theme of 'foot shooting' be aware that MA have also reduced the worth of skills. There really isn't a whole lot of difference between what you can achieve with noob skills and 'uber' skills. And, to the extent that there is a difference, the difference is certainly not worth paying for. Go out and hunt and mine and craft and enjoy yourself............but for Gawd's sake don't spend your money on the rat-race that gets you nowhere!

It looks like there is a definite difference between 1 lvl evade, 90 health
and 3k evade, 130 lvl health. The difference can be made within 18 months
of play with -hmm- not so inhuman grinding schedule. Naturally you are
deemed to be medium player forever, but it is actually one of the attractions
of this game. You understand why, after some years.

 

[Kjetil]

And on the theme of 'foot shooting' be aware that MA have also reduced the worth of skills. There really isn't a whole lot of difference between what you can achieve with noob skills and 'uber' skills. And, to the extent that there is a difference, the difference is certainly not worth paying for. Go out and hunt and mine and craft and enjoy yourself............but for Gawd's sake don't spend your money on the rat-race that gets you nowhere!
Valiant

You have some valid points in other sections of your post, but I am not agree with you that the worth of skills have been reduced. Skills means really a lot. Specially in the long run. If you can save 1 PEC each second, it means 36 PED a hour and 72k PEDs for 2k hours.
Difference in skills doesn't seems so much in the short run though.
Example is crafting. Try to craft some high level stuff with low skills and you will soon see that you lose bigtime if skills are not good for the level you craft. Same it is with hunting. HP is very essential here. How much do ppl lose in dying because of critical hits now? There is a lot of difference between 100 HP and 200 HP when you take critical hits of 110 dmg.
Armor decay can be different because of defence skills. Weapon efficiency we all know about. In mining, I am not sure yet, but I think skills will make a huge difference in the long run. Animal taming is in the startup. New professions will come. I guess that specially the "secondary skills" have huge influence in new professions.

/Kjetil

 

[Nicole]

Not sure of the weapon you use or your situation, so I will speak of Itchica an place where if using rifle and nice set of armor like Nemesis skill very nicely.. Or better put hunt and get skills very nicely

Used to be nice for all weapons but the spawn of the area has greatly increased as well as size of the mob the last VU.

Be mindful of too big an atrox.. The last vu Dom’s AOA, and even Prowlers have been seen and killed by me in the area..

 

[elisa]

I have recently thought of buying up alot of skill implants in combat. But i'm still unsure, is it worth buying up skills? Is it better instead to skill naturally and gain loot and possible attributes and health points? Or do I get attributes with skills?

IMHO, skilling naturally is better, because of the reasons outlined earlier: it's more fun, more secondary & attribute gains. No need to rush. The only exception I've made for myself 6-9 months ago were general skills (e.g. Athletics, Courage, etc) and Evade. I chipped those to raise my HP and defensive skills. But this was a different story as at that time many people were leaving and selling skills and you could buy it dirt cheap, comparing to current prices.

Few suggestions:

* don't ever chip combat skills - it's cheaper and more fun to get it when hunting.

* don't chip any skills until you are sure that PE is the game for you for next 1-2 years. Skills are long-term investments, so the pay-out won't be instant.

* try different mobs and weapons. According to my observations, combinations of those vary for different skill levels. Find the best match for you and your guns. The best match sometimes wouldn't be the most exciting one. I'd even say sometimes it's boring But as long as skilling remains your priority, it shouldn't scare you

 

[Swim]

...
It looks like there is a definite difference between 1 lvl evade, 90 health
and 3k evade, 130 lvl health. The difference can be made within 18 months
of play with -hmm- not so inhuman grinding schedule. Naturally you are
deemed to be medium player forever, but it is actually one of the attractions
of this game. You understand why, after some years.

Well said KapokWu,
I am a weekend player myself and I have been to a slow start since Mar. '05. I was just sweating and collecting TPs until I broke down and made a deposit. Then I was hunting with a rifle and axe, finally made decision to go with LB skilling. I took a disciple in the summer and for a while it looks like she was going to overtake me to graduation because she was on every night !
I had to cope with that scenario, because I can't play anymore that I did without sacrificing RL priorities. But then just after 1 month, my disciple never log on anymore. I have not seen her in game since then.
I think she was burnt out!
So I think if you are in PE for the long haul, you shouldn't worry too much about skill gains and just enjoy the experience.
Swim.

 

[Jerry Revan]

Thanks for the replies guys, just proves Project Entropia has the nicest and most mature community anywhere within the gaming world.

Oh yeah I have decided to leave the skill chips in auction and go and buy a Justifier mk2 and hunt for the next few months

Thanks again guys